If there is Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue, a peaceful and romantic city, there is One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi. The pagoda not only amazes people by its unique, fierce and fabulous design but also by its tranquility and awesome landscape. You will fall in love with this architecture of One Pillar pagoda for the first time!
One Pillar Pagoda was located in what was once the Tay Cam Garden in Thach Bao, Vinh Thuan District in Thang Long which is known as Hanoi nowadays. The structure, which is to say, is quite different than any designs of a pagoda or temple before, kind of a unique architecture in Vietnam as well as global world. It was built on a single stone pillar with 1.25m in diameter which is similar to a lotus blossom, a symbol of purity growing from a muddy pond.
Legend has it, in the Ly dynasty, the Emperor Ly Thai To went to pagodas to pray for a child since he is childless. One night, he dreamed about the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara seating on a great lotus flower in a square-shaped lotus pond on the western side of Thang Long Citadel and granted him a boy. Months later, he married with a peasant and had a son. Since then, the One Pillar Pagoda was constructed in gratitude for the significant legendary event similar to what the king saw in his dream. That’s why it’s only from one pillar that builds up a temple, as it represents for the lotus in the middle of the pond. Thanks to the unique shape together with the special story, this temple has become an absorptive destination of thousands of international tourists and Vietnamese people, too.
One Pillar Pagoda stands close to the Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, so you can go on to visit this complex at once. What you see at the moment is actually not the original design of the temple due to the fact that it was destroyed by French colonial power. It was not until 1955 that it was rebuilt to preserve a place for praying and relaxing. Today’s structure can be called the replica of the old one which was a large building. To most of the local people, if you spread your wish here, it will invoke well-beings and prosperity.
Once going out of the pagoda, you would find a peaceful moment when there is a combination between green trees, the lotus pond, the fresh air and the perfume coming from inside. Standing under the brilliant landscape, you won’t deny catching some pictures and relaxing for a while. You would feel as if all of yours stress and nervous are gone away with wind and your soul is likely to be free.
A true soul will find himself resting only at somewhere peaceful like pagoda. If you need time to refresh your mind and stay away from the annoying life, the One Pillar Pagoda is an absolutely intriguing place for you. Rarely in your busy days can you find a moment to enjoy like this site. You can feel unregretful once you reach your feet at One pillar pagoda.
One Pillar pagoda opens daily from 8AM to 5PM and the entrance is free so you can arrange your time in the best way to see Hanoi and discover the tranquil beauty inside and outside the pagoda. One thing you should notice is that since it is a pagoda, like any worshiped structure somewhere else in Vietnam, visitors are required to wear full-length clothes to keep the politeness for this place. Now, you can get ready to go!
